Flirtation and Courtship in Nineteenth-Century British Culture

This three-volume set explores nineteenth-century flirtation and courtship, revealing how women manipulated and navigated societal norms to achieve their desires. It includes a wide range of primary source materials from novels, memoirs, and legal documents, providing insight into a more diverse set of options available to women in their quest for happiness.

Format: Hardback
Length: 2080 pages
Publication date: 08 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This three-volume set is a treasure trove of primary source materials on nineteenth-century flirtation and courtship. It offers a comprehensive exploration of the historical and cultural contexts surrounding these practices.

In the nineteenth century, a woman's life was typically divided into three distinct stages: personal formation, education, marriage, and the pinnacle of normative femininity as a wife and mother. However, beneath this façade of femininity lay an unspoken acknowledgment of duplicity. Women, regardless of their age, were taught that to achieve their desires, they must cultivate indifference. This meant mastering the art of flirtation and feigning disinterest as essential survival skills that could lead to success.

These volumes meticulously document the various ways in which nineteenth-century women were educated in this universal wisdom, often subverting and navigating these norms to pursue their own goals. The collection includes a diverse range of documents, such as novels, memoirs, literary journals, newspapers, plays, poetry, songs, parlour games, and legal documents. These materials shed light on a broader spectrum of options available to women in their pursuit of happiness and provide a fresh perspective on courtship and flirtation, which were central to a nineteenth-century woman's life.

The volumes will appeal to scholars of history, literature, gender and cultural studies, with a particular interest in the nineteenth century. They offer valuable insights into the social, cultural, and economic dynamics of that era and contribute to our understanding of women's roles and experiences during that time.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367200718